Topic 3: The Structure of the Hothel Industry

HA210 : The Class : Hotel Industry : Structure

Topic 3: The Structure of the Hotel Industry

Summary of Topic 3

Topic 3 concludes Module I. This opening module is fashioned as a base structure. On it -- that is, on a fundamental knowledge of what the lodging industry is all about -- is built the balance of the text. The modules that follow examine in detail the duties, responsibilities and procedures of the rooms division of the hotel and of the several other departments that support the front desk.

Throughout the text, the authors intermix the terms of rooms department, front office and front desk in order to add variety to the prose. Except in rare instances, this chapter being one, the terms are used interchangeably. Similarly, except here in chapter 3, no sharp distinctions are made elsewhere between the Resident Manager (sometimes called the Hotel Manager) and the Rooms Manager. The Resident Manager has operational responsibility for the entire hotel except for food and beverage. The Rooms Manager has lesser responsibility. Where there is a complete staff, as illustrated in this chapter, the Rooms Manager has the assistance of either or both an Assistant Manager and/or a Front-Office Manager. The latter focuses chiefly on the operational areas of the physical front desk.

The distinctions are less sharp today because front-office staffs were reduced dramatically as hotel organizations restructured during the dark days of the early to mid-1990s. Numerous middle-management positions were cut as a result, and many titles were collapsed into one. The new structure that was created has remained and with it the merger of titles and responsibilities. Chapters 1 and 2 reviewed the fiscal causes behind the downsizing. Hotels offset the diminished management structure by enlarging the scope of employee authority and responsibility. Chapter 7 discusses this new empowerment of guest-service agents. The front-office organization described in this chapter does not reflect this loss of supervisory staff because many positions are now being reinstated as the lodging industry enters a strong period of recovery.

From the organizational charts, it should be apparent to the student that the rooms department is but one unit within the operating hotel. Moreover, it is not an independent unit, but is one heavily dependent on other departments within the hotel. Notwithstanding that interdependence, the front office is the most important unit of the hotel. Evidence for such an assertion harkens back to the previous chapters. Various hotels can and do function without food and beverage facilities. Marketing is often taken on by the manager of a small hotel. Some hotels get along without departments of human resources. Others outsource their payroll and accounting systems. Not so with the front office. The very definition of the hotel as a purveyor of rooms necessitates the presence of the rooms division, which is most evident in two functions: the front desk and housekeeping. In the book, we focus on the former.

Objectives and Student Goals:

Objectives of this topic are to develop within the students...

...A mental image of the organization of a hotel and of the place of the front office therein.

...An appreciation for the interconnect among the several front-office positions and between the front office and the other operating divisions of the hotel.

...A knowledge of the hotel's product (the guest room) including floor design, room shape, room size, and exposure.

...An ability to distinguish among bed types and between bed types and room types.

At the conclusion of this topic, the student should be able to...

To complete this Topic successfully, please complete the following activities in the order shown below:

icon AUDIO: Introduction to Topic 3